After The End
by Mistress of Darkness
Summary: Satoshi has lived his entire life in the shadow of his family's fate. The curse has been lifted Satoshi is finally free. It's finally over... but what comes after the end?
1. Prologue

**AFTER THE END**

Prologue:

Two figures emerged from the dust and rubble of the museum, one leaving heavily upon the other for support. They had both made it… somehow or another. Satoshi paused, feeling the warm sun on his face as it rose from behind the mountains. It was a new day; a new… beginning.

Taking a deep breath, he stood on his own, only to find that his legs were still weak. He lost his balance and stumbled forward a bit. Daisuke quickly reached out a hand to steady him, but Satoshi held up his own hand to stop him. Daisuke was slightly amused to see that after all this time, Satoshi was still so self-reliant.

"I'm alright," he said. Daisuke sighed, but smiled nonetheless. "It's brilliant, isn't it?" Satoshi asked, and Daisuke followed his gaze to the sunrise.

"It is," he agreed.

"But it's a different kind of brilliance from before," Satoshi said, and the two of them stood in silence for a moment. Finally Satoshi sighed. "I guess… I'll try to enjoy my life… since I have it."

"I'm glad," Daisuke said. Satoshi smiled faintly. He knew that a lot was going to change for him… now. But even so; he could finally see the light again. He was, after all, a Hikari.

光

-END


	2. My Name Is Hikari

**AFTER THE END**

Chapter One: My name is… Hikari

_ぼく　の　なまえ　は　。。。　光_

"What will we do?" asked Riku, referring to the fact that Satoshi had fainted and they had no way to get him anywhere.

"It's alright," replied Daisuke. "I think… help will be here soon." By that, he meant his family. Surely they would be coming to find him soon. Besides, he had a feeling they were on their way. Risa knelt down on the other side of Satoshi, determined to help him. He was covered in small cuts and scratches – not to mention the two gashes on his shoulders where his wings had broken through the skin.

"Riku, Niwa-kun," she said, taking Satoshi's shoulders and gently pulling him closer to her. Niwa, seeing what she was doing, helped to lay the boy down on the ground, his head resting on Risa's knees. "We need water," she said. Both Riku and Daisuke hesitated, slightly surprised by this new side of the younger Harada. But Daisuke knew that she was right, and after a moment he stood up and turned toward the buildings not far away. There would hopefully be a pop machine with water in it in one of them. Riku glanced back at her sister once, and then ran to catch up with Daisuke.

Risa remained sitting on her knees, Satoshi's head resting in her lap. Her scrutinizing eyes looked up and down his body. There was blood on his arms, his chest, and his shoulders. How could he have gotten hurt like this? But then… she had seen his wings, so she knew that much at least. _'How sad…'_ She brushed back some bangs from his forehead and looked at his peaceful face. She'd never looked at him like this before. She'd never looked at him at all, really. He'd just been there, at the back of the class; a top student, good athlete, but too quiet to really… notice.

Satoshi flinched at her touch on his face, and his eyelids fluttered for a moment. He looked up at her, but his eyes weren't focused. "Niwa…" he muttered softly, and then slipped back into a dreamless sleep.

Voices drew Risa's attention away from the boy on her lap. "Risa!" Riku was shouting happily, running toward her. Behind her, walking, were more people. She recognized them; Daisuke's mother, father, and grandfather, as well as his maid and his 'rabbit,' With. Daisuke's mother was looking over her son, checking for any injuries while they walked over to the group.

Riku stopped and stood by her sister as Daisuke and his family continued to make their way over. They halted a few steps away, but Kosuke came straight to Satoshi and Risa, and knelt down, taking in his condition. "He's far worse for wear than you are, Dai," Kosuke said quietly after a moment, "but he should be alright. Let's get him home."

This surprised both Emiko and Towa, not to mention Daisuke, but his grandfather stepped forward to help lift the sleeping boy gently onto Kosuke's back. "Up we go," said Kosuke as he stood up. "He's really light," he added as an afterthought.

The sound of distant sirens drifted over the rubble, and to their ears. "Come on," said Emiko, jumping back to action. "We don't want to be seen here." The group had no objections, and within a moment they had all set off toward the back roads. It would take them almost an hour to reach the Niwa home on foot from there.

For a moment, Daisuke and the two Harada sisters were caught up in a deep conversation, and Emiko took advantage of their distraction to move up to walk next to her father and husband. "_Where_ exactly are you planning to _put_ him? Not in _our_ house?" she hissed quietly. "This is crazy!"

"Emiko," Daichi scolded softly. "The curse has ended. And besides… he's only a child, after all." Emiko looked to Kosuke, but he seemed distracted, deep in thought. She noticed for the first time how carefully her husband was walking, trying not to jar Satoshi too much. She looked at his broken body, his arms wrapped loosely around Kosuke's neck. Despite his injuries, his face was relaxed… peaceful. She sighed in defeat.

"I'll set up the bed in the spare room then," she said.

---

"Phew," said Daisuke as they climbed up what seemed to be a million steps to the tired boy. "How did you guys get there so fast, anyway?"

"That would be _my_ doing, master Daisuke," chirped Towa happily.

Daisuke glanced at Risa and Riku, who were both looking at him curiously now. "Oh…" he replied.

The group walked in near-silence for a time, Kosuke and Daiki leading, followed by Towa and Emiko who were locked in an excited conversation about all that had happened. Risa paused for a moment, looking once more to Satoshi. She could see his back more clearly now – the two holes in his jacket were red with blood. "Hey," she said, running up to walk next to Kosuke. "Shouldn't we take Hiwatari-kun to a hospital?"

"Kosuke smiled faintly. "No… I think that it would be much better for him if we took him home. He'd probably prefer it that way, anyway," he replied.

"But what about his injuries?" Risa asked.

"Don't you worry yourself, young lady," said Daiki, speaking for the first time in a while. "We've dealt with this sort of thing many times throughout the Niwa family's generations. Besides," he added in a slightly lower tone. "How would you _explain_ his injuries to the doctors?" He motioned to Satoshi's back, but Risa already knew what he meant.

"We can't cause him anymore trouble than he needs," Kosuke said, smiling sadly. "He's already got enough to worry about."

---

It didn't take as long as they had thought, and a little over half-an-hour later the seven of them were stepping up the walk. "I'll go make some tea!" Towa said, heading at once to the kitchen to prepare a drink for their guests.

"Dai, why don't you guys wait in the living room," said Emiko gently. Kosuke and Daiki were already headed toward the hall where the spare room was. "Wait!" cried Risa when she realized they were taking Satoshi. "Don't you need any help?"

Kosuke smiled. "We're just going to get him settled, tend to his injuries, and then you can come see him," he reassured. "Don't worry; we shouldn't take too long." He turned back down the hall and vanished around the corner.

"Hmm…" Risa pouted, but followed her sister over to the couch nonetheless. Daisuke just smiled in sympathy. He would much rather be in there too, making sure Satoshi was alright, but it was probably better this way. Emiko went upstairs to her bathroom to get the first-aid supplies and some cloths and warm water, and then went to the spare room as well.

Once she stepped inside, she closed the door behind herself and set down the supplied she had gotten. The two men had already laid Satoshi out on some towels on the bed and removed his shoes and Daisuke's coat. Kosuke took the water and cloths and began to carefully wash away the blood from Satoshi's chest and shoulders, while Emiko took out the bandage rolls. "At least the bleeding has stopped," Daiki said, watching them both work.

For the next ten minutes, they cleaned and bandaged his small cuts, and disinfected the many scratches. Despite Emiko's cold attitude toward him initially, it seemed that her feelings toward Satoshi had thawed somewhat. She worked with the gentle care of a mother as she tended his wounds. The worst injury was to his left arm, and they had to wrap the gauze around it once it was clean. Finally the only wounds left to treat were the cuts from his wings. "Lift him up," said Emiko, returning from changing the bloody water and towels.

Kosuke and Daiki held Satoshi up in a sitting position while Emiko sat behind the boy, inspecting his bloodied back. The only wounds were above his shoulders, but the blood from them had dripped down his entire back. With a sigh, she began to gently sponge away the blood, carefully avoiding the actual cuts.

"How is it," Daiki asked when she finally began to dab the warm water onto his shoulder blades. She narrowed her eyes as she cleared away the last of the blood, and was surprised by what she saw there.

"It's not as bad as it could be," she replied. "But it's still…"

Satoshi moaned softly, feeling the pain as pressure was applied to his sensitive back. "Hold him _still_," Emiko reminded them as she continued to work. She was quick but careful in cleaning the two wounds, and when she was finally finished she took out a jar of their special recipe ointment and gently rubbed some on the cuts. Satoshi cried out in his sleep, but no one could blame him, because although it usually healed quickly, they all knew how much that green ointment burned.

When she was finished rubbing it over his upper back, Emiko took up the gauze and wrapped Satoshi's upper torso. "We just have to keep them clean…" she muttered to herself, absorbed in her work.

Kosuke sighed and wiped a few drops of sweat from his forehead, before picking up Satoshi enough for Daiki to pull out the towels from beneath him. Then Kosuke laid him back into the bed and pulled up the blanket around him, resting his bandaged arm carefully on top of the blankets.

"I think we can call in our other guests now," he said with a small smile.

---

Although he had accomplished what he had to do, there was sadness in the Niwa house that hung thickly in the air. The loss of Dark was a heavy blow to all of them. But it was something that no one was ready to think about just yet, and so they pushed it to the back of their minds.

The rest of the day passed slowly, dragging on. It was Christmas Eve and so Daisuke and Riku kept their promise to spend it together. They went out for a while for a walk, but Risa stayed at the house. She sat alone in Satoshi's room with him, yet… accompanied only by Kosuke and Emiko when they occasionally dropped in.

How could it come to this anyway? How could no one have noticed how much he'd been suffering. Like a fragile soul, being ripped to pieces; Risa began to fit together the pieces, to create a full picture of what had really been happening.

Satoshi had saved her – or at least, he'd tried to – despite the pain it had caused him. He'd fought against the evil inside of him for so long… Risa felt tears come to her eyes, and she leaned forward to hide her face in the covers. Somehow… she had to make sure he was safe now…

---

"Come on Risa," Kosuke said softly. It was 8:00 at night, and she had been by Satoshi's side all day long. "There's nothing more you can do. He's comfortable at least, right?" She didn't reply. "You can come back and see him tomorrow. He'll be fine. I promise you I'll take care of him."

With a sigh, Risa nodded. She knew he was right; she had to go for now. Gently taking Satoshi's hand in hers, she looked at him once more. "Don't worry, Hiwatari-kun," she said with a smile. "You'll be just fine."

"Hi…Hikari…" Satoshi mumbled, his eyes fluttering open a bit.

"What?" asked Risa, leaning forward quickly to hear him better. Kosuke, too, looked at Satoshi.

"My name… is Hikari…" Satoshi repeated, before his eyes fell closed once more and he drifted back into sleep. Kosuke smiled.


	3. Healing the Heart

**AFTER THE END**

Chapter Two: Healing the Heart

"_It's a sad day for the people of the Amazuno police force today, as we have been informed of the loss of Police Chief Hiwatari, who died late last night in a tragic accident within the now-destroyed art museum."_ The newscaster's voice rang through the living room, where Kosuke sat alone. He had finally convinced Risa to go home an hour ago, and Daisuke had gone to walk the Harada twins' home. He still hadn't returned.

Emiko poked her head in the living room from where she was making dinner in the kitchen to see her husband frowning at the television screen, his hands folded and his chin resting on them. He looked deep in thought once again. She was distracted however, when she looked at the TV.

"So he _did_ die," Emiko said, drying her hands on a dishtowel and stepping the rest of the way into the room.

"Yes…" Kosuke said, furrowing his brows. "It's a shame, really," he added.

"Well I don't care what you say about him. That man was evil, and nothing you say can change that," replied Emiko.

Kosuke was silent for a moment. "You're right," he said slowly, "but he wasn't always that way. I think that he was influenced by the power of the Hikari's art." Emiko sighed and wrapped her arms around Kosuke.

"You're just like Dai; always looking for the best in people." She paused here and thought for a moment. "Just how much have you looked into that boy, anyway?" she asked finally. "You seem to know – and care – an awful lot about him. What secrets are you keeping from me, Kosuke?" she demanded.

"Well to be honest, I've been looking into him for a while now. But speaking of Satoshi, I really should go check up on him."

Emiko frowned at her husband's lame attempt to change the subject. "I was just in there," she said.

"And?"

"Sound asleep," she replied. She glanced at the television set where a picture of a smiling man stared back at her. _"…in fond memory of Police Chief Hiwatari, who worked hard to protect this city for many…" _

Emiko frowned and looked at his picture. Even if she hated that man… it was a sad thing to happen on Christmas Eve. "When he wakes," said Emiko softly, "will you tell him?"

"Or wait until after Christmas, you mean?" Kosuke asked, standing up and stretching slowly. Emiko nodded. "I think… he may already know." Emiko sighed.

"How sad…" she said softly. Both turned to the sound of the door opening and closing. "I'm home!" Daisuke called.

"Welcome back," Emiko called. "Dinner's ready when you are." Kosuke flicked off the television and a moment later Daisuke entered the living room.

"It's getting cold out there," he said, rubbing his hands together. His hair was covered in white flakes, as was his sweater.

"Is that all you wore, Dai-chan?" Emiko scolded, taking in her son's appearance. "You'll catch cold if you're not careful. In this sort of weather…" Kosuke tuned them both out once again and his gaze wandered to the hall for a moment before he followed them into the kitchen to eat, while Emiko's voice drifted up from the basement stairs. "Dad! Towa!"

---

Satoshi opened his eyes and his head swam for a moment. _'Where am I?' _His eyes traveled around the room; empty, save for the bed he was in, a bedside table and lamp, a dresser, and a desk. A large window was set above the bed, but it was dark outside. He could see tiny white flakes of snow hitting the glass.

A face crossed his mind and his eyes narrowed sadly. _'Fa…father…'_ he clenched his eyes shut, preventing the tears from falling. The memory of his father holding the Hikari's axe surfaced in his mind's eye. The axe… one of the Hikari's darkest pieces of art. It had been red with his own blood dripping from the blade. In the end, his father had saved him. But then he had fallen at the foot of the Black Wings, Satoshi's name whispered on his last breath…

His father had wanted him dead; he'd wanted Krad more – Satoshi had known that for such a long time. But still, he had strove to fulfill his father's wishes, hoping that if he did, things would be how they were when he was young – before Krad came.

But in the end, he had repented himself, hadn't he? He had chosen Satoshi. _'He chose me… he chose to save me.' _Satoshi felt hot tears sting his eyes. _'Father… I'm sorry. But I can't use your name anymore. Please understand; I **am** a Hikari.'_

---

The door opened slowly, and a familiar face appeared in the light from the hallway. Satoshi regarded his through slightly confused eyes as Kosuke stepped into the room carrying a tray full of food. The warm aroma reached Satoshi, and he realized just how hungry he was.

"Hey there," Kosuke said, walking to the bed and setting the tray on the bedside table next to him. Satoshi's mind was racing. Was he at the Niwa house? How long had he been asleep? "How do you feel?" asked Kosuke. Of all the questions rushing through his mind, that had not been one of them, so it caught Satoshi slightly off guard. He didn't reply.

The smell of the food made the dull ache in Satoshi's stomach more noticeable, and he turned his head to glance at it. Slowly his mind settled down. It felt like it had been days since he'd eaten. It probably had been. But still… accepting help from the Niwa's?

"I brought you some dinner," Kosuke said. He reached out a hand to help him, but Satoshi pulled away and tried to sit up. His entire body ached at the sudden motion, and Kosuke caught him as he fell weakly back to the pillows. So much for his brief attempt to escape.

"Easy now," Kosuke said, releasing his hold on the boy. "You're still pretty weak, so don't over do it, okay?" Satoshi, whose eyes were clenched closed due to the overwhelming pain he felt, once again remained silent. He lay still, waiting for it to fade, and as it did so he opened his eyes to find Kosuke still standing over him.

"Are you alright now?" he asked, and Satoshi sighed.

"Where am I?" he asked, his voice soft and quiet. He decided the silent treatment probably wouldn't help him here. Kosuke smiled warmly, and Satoshi couldn't help but relax. Something about this man was almost… soothing.

"You're at the Niwa home," he replied, confirming Satoshi's suspicions. "And it's Christmas Eve, 9:00pm. You've been asleep since this morning."

"And Daisuke? Where is he?" Satoshi asked."

"He just went upstairs to get ready for bed, I think. He stopped in here after dinner, but didn't want to wake you."

Satoshi nodded his acknowledgement, and then lifted his head a bit so that he could look at the window. "Are you hungry?" Kosuke's voice broke into his thoughts once more. Satoshi turned to look at him, hesitated, and then nodded.

"Good," said Kosuke. "Because you'll need to eat if you want to regain your strength." He reached toward Satoshi and paused when Satoshi tensed. He really didn't like to be touched or helped at all. That much was evident. But he let him help him up into a sitting position, leaning him back against the wall with pillows behind his back to help support him.

"Are you alright?" Kosuke asked once more, as Satoshi cringed from the pain shooting through his body. Every movement, however small, seemed to trigger it. "The medication is probably wearing off by now," Kosuke said, more to himself than anything. "We'll put some more on tonight so that you can sleep."

'_Medicine?'_ Satoshi thought, wondering what sort of things they had given him. But he didn't have much time to dwell on it, because Kosuke had pulled over a small table that came over the bed, and set the tray on it for him.

The food looked as delicious as it smelled, and Satoshi lifted his right arm – the one that wasn't bandaged up passed the elbow – and lifted the chopsticks. Kosuke was about to offer to help him eat, but thought better of it. He already knew what Satoshi's answer would be, and he didn't want to annoy him too much on the first day.

He ate in silence, slowly. He had never realized how much effort it took to chew, and how much energy it took to hold chopsticks. The meal was healthy; rice and soup, with a piece of buttered bread on the side. Satoshi ate some of the rice, and then a bit of soup before he was finally too exhausted to eat anymore.

"Are you finished?" Kosuke asked, when Satoshi put down his spoon and leaned his head back. He just nodded his reply. Kosuke took the tray and moved the table away. "Would you drink some tea if I brought it?" he asked, already on his way to the door. He paused and waited for the reply. Satoshi, realizing he wasn't going to be left alone until he gave one, nodded his head. "Great, Kosuke said, his spirits seeming to brighten a bit. "I'll be right back then."

Satoshi sighed, and closed his eyes to wait, letting himself relax. Although thoughts and questions struggled to surface, he pushed all of them away. Better to deal with the now, now, and the past later. _'When I'm stronger…'_

He sat still and concentrated on his body. The most painful areas, when he was still, were his left arm and his shoulders. Actually, his shoulders didn't just hurt, but were throbbing constantly, a dull pain that didn't fade. In fact, he noticed it was hurting more now than it had been a while ago. _'Whatever medicine they gave me, I'd gladly have some now…' _

Kosuke returned carrying two steaming mugs, and sat down on the bed, handing one to Satoshi. Then he took a sip and sighed in content. "It's good stuff, this," he said, and Satoshi took a moment to realize that he was referring to the tea. Satoshi carefully lifted the mug, and inhaled deeply.

"What is it?" he asked, not recognizing the odor.

"Catnip tea. It's supposed to be calming and relaxing, but I don't know if it works or not," Kosuke grinned. "I just like the way it tastes." He noticed that Satoshi still hadn't drank any. "Give it a try," he prompted, and Satoshi lifted the mug to his lips once more and took a small, delicate sip.

The steaming liquid slid down his throat, but it was a nice sensation, not a burning one. Kosuke had been right; this _was_ good tea. For a while, they sat and drank their tea in silence.

"Why are you helping me?" Satoshi asked after a while.

"What do you mean?" Kosuke replied.

Satoshi shrugged and took a careful sip of his tea. "Nothing, really. I just thought there might be a reason."

"Isn't caring, reason enough?" Kosuke asked, his eyes soft. Satoshi regarded him for a long moment, but Kosuke didn't break his gaze. Finally the boy sighed in defeat, and leaned back against his pillows.

"Thank you."


	4. And They Called It Trust

**AFTER THE END**

Chapter Three: And They Called It Trust…

Satoshi moaned in his sleep, and Emiko watched with sympathetic eyes as he struggled to move without much avail. After a moment Daiki finally came in, carrying the ointment she'd been waiting for. It was almost 10:00, and they were going to change their guest's bandages once more before going to bed themselves – as well as put some more ointment on the wounds. His shoulders seemed to really be bothering him.

With her father's help, Emiko was able to gently roll the boy onto his stomach, and once he was lying down comfortably, she used the knife to cut through the bandages that were wrapped around his upper torso. "Can you hand me that towel?" she asked, and Daiki handed her a hot, damp towel. She carefully set about her work.

Satoshi felt pressure on his back and his eyes fluttered open slightly. What was happening? His vision was hazy, and his head felt foggy and drowsy, but he forced his eyes to open the rest of the way and turn his head a bit to see. It was… Daisuke's mother?

Satoshi moved his arms slowly, hoping to push himself up, but strong hands wrapped gently around his wrists and kept them still. On most occasions, that would have instantly instigated a desperate plight to escape, but Satoshi was just too… exhausted. Presently he became aware of a woman's voice.

"Don't worry, we're just changing the bandages. It might sting a bit, but it needs to be done." Emiko put down the towel, finished cleaning the wounds. Then she reached for a jar of green goop. He watched her with mild interest as she took some of it onto her hands, and then moved toward him.

Daiki felt Satoshi tense as Emiko brought her hands nearer to his back, and prepared to hold him still. As he had expected, the instant Emiko touched the medicinal cream to his back the young boy began to thrash and wreathe, struggling to get away from what he knew must be a searing pain, although he didn't cry out – only whimpered softly.

"Don't worry," Satoshi heard the man's voice, deep and calm. It seemed to calm his own nerves just slightly, although it did nothing for the pain in his back. _'I hate you!'_ he thought bitterly as the burning sensation finally began to ebb away. She was wrapping bandages around his shoulders and torso now.

He didn't like that woman – her and her burning medicine. He didn't like her father much either. Emiko finished the bandages and Daiki released Satoshi's wrists, leaving him on the bed breathing heavily from the ordeal he'd just been through. Emiko looked at him sympathetically, but he turned away, not wanting to see her eyes. By turning his head the other way – facing Daiki instead – he saw that the old man was already turning the lid to a second jar, this one containing a transparent blue substance.

As he took off the lid a strong fragrance filled the room; spicy and minty. Satoshi inhaled deeply the scent. He liked it. Seeing the boy relax again, Daiki said softly, "this is a herbal remedy passed down through generations." Emiko decided to leave the last bit to her father and so she began to tidy up the supplies, while Daiki took some of the gel into his hands and rubbed it onto Satoshi's shoulders (a/n: the bandaged went around his torso so that his actual shoulder's weren't covered).

This substance burned too – but it was a different kind of burning. It was relaxing and soothing, not painful. And the smell was even stronger as Daiki massaged it into his aching muscles. Satoshi felt it rushing through his system, and a strong desire to sleep overcame his body. He felt his eyes closing, despite any efforts to stay awake. That smell… it was addictive… Very soon he was lost in the spicy fragrance of the herbs, and to the peaceful darkness they brought.

---

Kosuke stood in the basement among the many books, hovering over a low table and reading through some stats. He could hear Emiko and Daisuke above them, coming down the stairs. He'd been avoiding this for a long time, but he had finally decided to tell them at least some of what he knew. They had the right to know.

Daiki was sitting on a chair, watching Kosuke. "Are you sure about this?" he asked quietly. The old man had been the only one Kosuke had told this information to, because he knew that he was good at keeping secrets.

"I'm sure," replied Kosuke, heaving a sigh and sitting down in another chair. "It's about time they find out what really happened. Emiko has already been…" here he trailed off, for his wife and son had just stepped into the library. Daisuke was wearing his pajama's, since he had been in bed already when his mother had come in after changing Satoshi's bandages to fetch him.

"Well Kosuke?" Emiko asked, moving to an empty chair, followed closely by Daisuke and With. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing's wrong. I just have something that I need to tell you all, that's all," he replied, smiling reassuringly.

"Is it about Satoshi?" Emiko asked suddenly, and Kosuke nodded. Her face lit up; she had known he was keeping secrets for a while now, and it had been driving her insane not knowing what her husband was thinking.

"What about him?" Daisuke asked, confused by all of this. Once again he had been in the dark on this one.

"Well… first of all an explanation of _why_ I brought Satoshi here, after the Dark and Krad incident," Kosuke began. "And also the reason I didn't tell you this sooner." When the others were all silent and had given him their full attention, Kosuke began to speak.

"To be quite honest, I met Satoshi many years ago, when he was still quite young. That was when he was still Satoshi Hikari. I, as you know, was traveling, studying the history of artworks and the secrets behind many of them," Kosuke explained. "Of course, I knew all about the legendary curse, and rivalry, between the Hikari and the Niwa families, so I had also decided before I left home to try and look into the Hikari line. I found only two living people still carrying that bloodline; a woman and her young son."

"Satoshi?" Emiko asked. Kosuke nodded.

"I _met_ he and his mother at an art festival, shortly before she passed away. Satoshi was a very bright child, and seemed to be quite happy. Not the Satoshi I met many years later, who was cold and hardened. I can only imagine the things that brought about this change."

"How _did_ his mother die?" asked Daisuke, speaking for the first time.

"No one knew for sure at the time. She was found dead in their home, the cause of death unknown. It was eventually written off as a heart failure. I looked into her death again not long ago, and found the real reason, but I'll get into that later."

"Poor Satoshi," said Daisuke, seeming to miss the second half of what his father had said. "So what happened after that?"

"From there, things are a little bit more speculation and less hard evidence, but I believe he was adopted quite soon after his mother's death. I met him once more, a year after she died. It's not surprising that he didn't recognize me; he was only 8 at the time. I noticed _then_ the change that had started to come over him." Here Kosuke paused and frowned at the memory. "I remember thinking… there is nothing sadder than a broken soul."

Kosuke stood and walked to the window. "At any rate," he continued, "Satoshi was adopted by Mr. Hiwatari, as you know, who seemed to know quite a bit about the Hikari's art. I don't think – at first – he really intended to use Satoshi. Perhaps he was just an art admirer who saw his chance to have something to do with raising a Hikari child. Maybe he truly _did_ care about art, and couldn't bear to see a Hikari sent through the usual methods of foster care and adoption. I don't know for sure. But in the end, I suppose, it's how things turned out that really matters. I suspect that Hiwatari drove Satoshi to capturing Dark."

"My suspicions were intensified when the Rutile incident came about. I knew then that something was wrong; Satoshi was being forced to use the Rutile by his father, despite the fact that it was both hurting him and weakening his control over Krad. At first I thought he may have wanted it, but very soon I found out as you did that the relationship between Satoshi and his 'other half' was far less than copasetic, and the relationship between father and son had turned into more the likes of servant and master."

There was silence among all of the Niwa's. "I was looking for a way… a way to get Satoshi away from Hiwatari. Or even to get Satoshi alone long enough to _talk_ to him. I made a promise, you see; a promise to his mother. _That's_ the reason I've got to make sure he's alright."

Daiki looked just as surprised as everyone else. A promise? He had heard all of this before, but never anything about a promise.

Although he had finally revealed the base for his knowledge of Satoshi's past, there was so much he had not spoken about, including the details of those two meetings. Perhaps some things were left unspoken of though. At least… for now.

**- END**

A/N:

Did you like it? Let me know. R&R is your friend… and mine too! The next chapter is already on its way. I'm trying to stay on top of this, so that it doesn't turn into one of those stories that get updated once every six months or so. Anyway, if you have any comments or suggestions, please let me know. I'm open to ideas!

- Mistress of Darkness -


End file.
